View RFIs
  • 6 Minutes to read

    View RFIs


      Article Summary

      The 'Boards' interface shows all RFIs created for the project under various stages. The project managers of general contractors and subcontractors can perform the following actions from this interface.

      General ContractorSubcontractorArchitect/Engineer/Consultant
      Create RFIsCreate RFIsCreate RFIs
      Answer RFIs from their foremen or an SC PMReview and forward or Reject RFIs created by their foremenView details of RFIs assigned to them
      Set up a workflow sequence and choose the parties to respond/review/close the RFI in successive stepsAnswer RFI created by their foremenAnswer/Review the RFIs that are assigned to them 
      View details of RFIs assigned to them
      Forward RFIs to the GCSet up ad-hoc workflow steps for other stakeholders to 'Respond' or 'Review' for further clarifications
      Reject an RFI from their foreman or the PM of an SC, if they are trivial.Close RFIs from their foremen
      Set up ad-hoc workflow steps for other stakeholders to 'Respond' or 'Review' for further clarifications.Answer the RFIs for which they are assigned as the responder
      Review, approve, and close RFIs, after receiving responses from the assigned parties.Set up ad-hoc workflow steps for other stakeholders to 'Respond' or 'Review' for further clarifications.
      Roles and Permissions:
      • The participants to work on RFI are added at the company level. 
      • All users in the project team, with appropriate permissions for the RFI module, can view, review, comment, or answer an RFI if their company is delegated as a responder/reviewer in the workflow.
      • Only users with 'Manage' permission can 'Route' the RFI to the next step. 

      The RFI interface:

      • Open the project management console
      • Click 'RFI' on the top
      • Click 'Boards' on the left

      The interface shows the project's RFIs under various stages.

      • Use the buttons on the top right to switch between the list view and the grid view.

      List view:

      The list view shows the RFIs as a list with their details:

      • RFI No - The serial number of the RFI
      • RFI Name - The subject of the RFI. Click the name to open the RFI.
      • Created On - The date on which the RFI was generated
      • Created By - The contractor who generated the RFI
      • Due By- The deadline date of the RFI. Due dates of RFIs that are imminent and overdue are indicated with color backgrounds.
        • Yellow - Due within this week
        • Red - Overdue. The due date has passed.
      • Trade Type - The division of work to which the RFI pertains  
      • Priority- The criticality of the RFI. The priority level is also indicated by color codes:
        • Red - High
        • Orange - Medium
        • Blue - Low
      • RFI Type - The classification indicating the purpose of the RFI. Whether the RFI is for clarification, confirmation, missing details in the specs/plans, etc.
      • RFI Sub Type - The further classification of the RFI, depending on the information requested.
      • Location - The location of the constructed structure for which clarification is needed. 
      • Specification Code - The section of the construction spec book that covers the category of tasks, deliverables, and/or materials to which the RFI relates. 
      • Schedule Impact - Whether the subject of the RFI affects the schedule of the project 
      • Cost Impact - Whether the subject of the RFI affects the budget or incurs extra expenses to the project. 
      • Sequence - The sequence number depending upon the category of RFI in the master list created at your company level.  
      • Sheet name -  The sheet number of the plan or drawing sheet related to the RFI. 

      Sorting options - Hover your mouse over a column header and click the arrow that appears to sort the rows in alphabetical order of items in that column.  

      Search and Filter options - Use the Find, Filter, and table customization options on the right to search, filter, add/remove columns, etc. See Search, Filter, Column Customization, and Table Views for guidance on this.

      Grid View:

      The grid view shows the RFIs as cards under different stages. The items that are awaiting your response are indicated with the tag 'You' in blue. 

      Stages:

      • Draft - The RFIs created by you and yet to be routed.
      • In Progress- RFIs routed and pending response. 
      General ContractorSubcontractorArchitect/Engineer/Consultant
      • RFI's created by you. You can set up a workflow and forward them to the next step.
      • RFI's created by you. You can edit the questions or new ones and forward them to the next step, typically to the GC.
      • RFI's created by you. You can edit the questions or new ones and forward them to the next step, typically to the GC.
      • RFI's forwarded by PMs of SCs and foremen of your own company. You can review the details, edit the questions, add your comments, provide answers, set up a workflow with due dates for each step, and forward them to the next step. You can also reject RFI's that are trivial or not valid.
      • RFI's created by the foremen of your own company. You can review the details, edit the due dates and questions, give answers, add comments and/or forward them to the next step, typically to the GC.
      • RFI's assigned to you and pending your response or review. You can add your answers and comments and pass the RFI to the next step as per the primary workflow. Should you need any further details or clarifications, you can set up ad-hoc workflow steps to pass the RFI to respective stakeholders. 
      • RFIs returned to you after being responded to by the assigned respondent, typically the design team, viz. architects or engineers.
      • RFI's assigned to you and pending your response or review. You can add your answers and comments and pass the RFI to the next step as per the primary workflow. Should you need any further details or clarifications, you can set up ad-hoc workflow steps to pass the RFI to respective stakeholders. 

      • Answered - RFIs that have been created or routed by you, answered but waiting for approval, signature, or closure.
      • Closed - RFIs that were reviewed, approved, and closed by GC within the past seven days. RFIs that were closed before the past seven days can be viewed from the 'Closed' screen. See View and download RFIs for more details.

      Each card shows the at-a-glance details of the RFI:

      1-The serial number of the RFI.
      2-The title of the RFI.
      3-The creation date of the RFI.
      4-The person/contractor company that raised this RFI.
      5-The criticality of the RFI.  The priority is also indicated with color codes:
      • Red - High
      • Yellow - Medium
      • Blue - Low
      6-The stakeholder with whom the RFI is awaiting a response currently.
      7-The trade or division of work carried out by the contractor company that created the RFI.
      8-The classification of the RFI based on its purpose, whether the RFI is for clarification, confirmation, missing details in the specs/plans, etc.  
      9-The date within which the RFI has to be closed. The due date from an RFI is calculated from the number of days permitted for each step in its workflow. For RFIs that are due shortly and overdue, the due date is highlighted to indicate the criticality. 
      • Yellow - The RFI is due within the next seven days
      • Red - The RFI is overdue 
      10-The number of days remaining before the due date. For overdue RFIs, it shows the number of days past the due date.
      • Blue - The RFI is due after the next week (seven days)
      • Yellow - The RFI is due within this week (seven days)
      • Red - The RFI is overdue
      • Click a card to expand the RFI.

      You can review the questions, reject them if it is trivial, set up a workflow, route them to the appropriate party or answer them if assigned to you for a response, depending on your role in the workflow.

      The example below shows an RFI assigned to the GC for review and setting the workflow:

      Tip:
      You can chat with the team members and the participants of the RFI at any stage. Click thebutton on the top right. See Chat and collaborate on RFIs for more guidance.

      See the following sections to know more:


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